Estrogen dominance
Estrogen is too high relative to progesterone. Drives heavy periods, breast tenderness, fibroids, weight gain in the hips, irritability, anxiety, and PMS that lasts two weeks.
Functional Medicine Treatment
Hormone Imbalance Treatment
Your cycle changed and you can’t explain why. PMS that used to last a few days now stretches for two weeks. Sleep that used to be reliable is broken. Your weight has settled in places it didn’t before. Your moods feel chemical, not psychological.
You’re not imagining this. What you’re feeling is measurable.
Hormones move in patterns and cascades, and the pattern is what tells the story. We map the whole picture with the right testing, then build a plan around what’s actually driving your experience.
What "Hormone Imbalance" Actually Means
It’s not a diagnosis. It’s an umbrella for several specific patterns, and most women have two or three running at the same time.
How We Test
The DUTCH test maps the full picture across your cycle (in cycling women) or across the day (in post-menopausal women). Free cortisol, cortisone, all sex hormones, sex hormone metabolites, and methylation. The most comprehensive single hormone test available.
We pair it with a comprehensive blood panel: full thyroid (TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3, antibodies), insulin and HbA1c, sex hormones at the right cycle day, vitamin D, ferritin, B12, folate, and inflammatory markers.
If gut involvement is clear, we add a GI-MAP. The gut clears estrogen. A disrupted gut keeps estrogen recirculating, which is why so many estrogen-dominant women also have IBS or food sensitivity issues.
You'll find this approach effective if:
Your cycle has changed and you don't know why
You have PMS or PMDD that's getting worse over time
You suspect thyroid issues but your labs are "normal"
You've been told you have PCOS and want a non-pill plan
You're navigating perimenopause without good clinical support
You've tried bioidenticals and either felt no different or felt worse
You're not the right fit if:
-
You're in active cancer treatment and need oncology-led hormone management
-
You need acute psychiatric care that hormone work won't replace
Our Approach
We’re data-driven and outcome-oriented. We don’t treat hormone imbalance with bioidenticals as a first move. We figure out why the pattern is broken, address the inputs, and use targeted hormonal support if your case calls for it.
Step 1
Test and read the cascade
We map cortisol, sex hormones, thyroid, and insulin together because they pull on each other.
Step 2
Address the foundations
Sleep, nutrition, blood sugar, stress patterns, gut, and nutrients. Most hormone problems improve substantially when these are addressed first.
Step 3
Targeted protocol
Specific herbs, nutrients, and dietary changes for the specific pattern. DIM and calcium-d-glucarate for estrogen dominance. Vitex for progesterone support. Inositol for insulin and androgens. Adaptogens for cortisol. Nutrients that support thyroid conversion.
Step 4
Bioidentical hormones if indicated
We collaborate with prescribing partners when bioidentical progesterone, testosterone, or estrogen is the right call. Not reflexively. Your case has to call for it.
Step 5
Retesting and refinement
Hormones shift as we work. Retesting at 3 to 6 months keeps the protocol matched to where you actually are.
Hormone imbalance work runs across all three programs depending on the complexity of your case. We choose with you on the discovery call.
Foundation
Clear single-pattern cases (textbook estrogen dominance, isolated low progesterone, mild cortisol disruption).
Restoration
Multi-pattern cases (cortisol plus estrogen plus thyroid involvement) and women in perimenopause or post-pill recovery.
Concierge
The most complex cases involving autoimmunity, prior hormone treatment that didn't work, or fertility concerns.
Please note specialty laboratory testing, insurance-related copays, and supplements are not included and vary based on individual needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most clients notice meaningful changes (sleep, mood, PMS) in 6 to 12 weeks. Full restoration of cycles or stabilization of perimenopausal symptoms takes 4 to 6 months.
We work with prescribing partners when it's the right call. We don't lead with hormones as the first move.
No. We use whatever your case calls for. If a prescription is the right answer, we say so and coordinate care.
Many of our clients are. Hormone optimization is fertility optimization. We coordinate with reproductive endocrinology where it's part of the picture.
Yes. The protocols differ. Men's hormone work usually focuses on testosterone, cortisol, thyroid, and insulin.
Why Well Empowered?
25 years of devotion to people thriving
IFM Certified Practitioner
Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine
Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN)
Masters of Science in Nutrition & Functional Medicine
Personalized, root-cause approach
Virtual consultations available
Start with Real Data
Free 15-minute call to outline what testing your case calls for and what the path forward looks like.
